Skip to content
The Johnson Charitable Trust at a glance

· Private foundation

The Johnson Charitable Trust

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$1.9M
Granted FY2019
25
Grants FY2019
4
States reached
$500k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead

Read this first · the figures below need context

50% of The Johnson Charitable Trust’s FY2024 grant dollars went to Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund, not to grantees.

Its money now reaches organizations through that sponsor, which does not report who recommended each grant. FY2024 names 7 organizations directly, so a portfolio cannot be read from it. Everything below is therefore FY2019, the last year The Johnson Charitable Trust named its own grantees at scale: 20 organizations, $2M. It is dated, not current.

Organizations named directly on the return

13
’17
22
’18
20
’19
7
’20
24
’21
19
’22
15
’23
7
’24

Amber years are those where most dollars went to a sponsor.

01What it funds
0197% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Philanthropy$8.3MEducation$1.8MHuman Services$1.1MYouth Development$938kHousing & Shelter$556kRecreation & Sports$225kEmployment$140kInternational$125kOther$0
02FY2019 · 25 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2019

  • Under $10k1 grant · $5k
  • $10k–50k16 grants · $263k
  • $50k–250k5 grants · $325k
  • $250k+3 grants · $1.3M
$20,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$41M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CATLIN GABEL SCHOOL$500,000
OREGON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION$400,000
FIDELITY$400,000
PORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION$100,000
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION$75,000
ALLIANCE FOR EQUITY IN MONTESSORI EDUCATION$50,000
SNOWCAP COMMUNITY CHARITIES$50,000
NEW AVENUES FOR YOUTH$50,000
PORTLAND TENNIS AND EDUCATION$30,000
CAMPBELL INSTITUTE DBA CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE$25,000
PORTLAND HOMELESS FAMILY SOLUTIONS$25,000
COLLEGE POSSIBLE$20,000
CLACKAMAS SERVICE CENTER$20,000
SMART READING$20,000
OPEN SCHOOL$20,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY17–24, $1.0M) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 88% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%CLACKAMAS WOMEN'S SERVICES: $55k → 8%CLACKAMAS WOMEN'S SERVICES: $20k → 8%CLACKAMAS WOMEN'S SERVICES: $20k → 8%CHILDREN'S PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP (CP3): $20k → 8%CLACKAMAS WOMEN'S SERVICES: $10k → 8%SNOWCAP COMMUNITY CHARITIES: $250k → 12%SNOWCAP COMMUNITY CHARITIES: $170k → 12%SNOWCAP COMMUNITY CHARITIES: $50k → 12%SNOWCAP COMMUNITY CHARITIES: $40k → 12%SNOWCAP COMMUNITY CHARITIES: $30k → 12%SNOWCAP COMMUNITY CHARITIES: $30k → 12%SNOWCAP COMMUNITY CHARITIES: $25k → 12%SNOWCAP COMMUNITY CHARITIES: $25k → 12%CLACKAMAS SERVICE CENTER: $120k → 12%CLACKAMAS SERVICE CENTER: $50k → 12%CLACKAMAS SERVICE CENTER: $20k → 12%CLACKAMAS SERVICE CENTER: $20k → 12%CLACKAMAS SERVICE CENTER: $15k → 12%LATINO NETWORK: $50k → 12%DRESS FOR SUCCESS OREGON: $10k → 12%BLACK PARENT INITIATIVE: $10k → 12%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 31% of The Johnson Charitable Trust’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address. By recipient address, 62% of the giving stays in OR; by stated purpose, 58%.

The Johnson Charitable Trustlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address · 3.8% directed abroad (not shown)
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

85%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$5.0M · 29 repeat orgs$881k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +32% since the first grant, against +13% for those funded once.

29 repeat relationships: 17 still active in FY2019, 12 since wound down; 19 grantees were first funded in FY2019 (too recent to call). Read against FY2019, the last year this funder named its own grantees directly; its giving has since run through a sponsor, which reports no donor behind each grant.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

29
11

Total granted

$5.0M
$111k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+32%
+13%

Still filing today

83%
73%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Youth DevelopmentHuman ServicesEducationArts & CultureHealthPhilanthropyOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • SC
    SNOWCAP COMMUNITY SERVICES
    7× · 2017–2024 · $620k · revenue +89%
  • PORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC
    7× · 2018–2024 · $560k · revenue +32%
  • CATLIN GABEL SCHOOL
    3× · 2018–2020 · $512k · revenue +68%

Funded once

  • MA
    MUSEUM AT WARM SPRINGS
    one grant, 2017 · $20k · revenue -15%
  • ADAPTIVE SPORTS NORTHWESTgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $10k · revenue +124%
  • Black Parent Initiativegraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $10k · revenue +195%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
The Campbell Institute

Children's institute's mission is to leverage research, practice, policy, and advocacy to shift systems toward justice for families so that all of oregon's children, prenatal to grade 5, have access to opportunity.

Unclassified
2
Mitch Charter School

We believe that the strength of our community lies in its diversity. we know the power of many different voices at the table. these voices resound from the hearts and minds of our youth, who hold the keys to a just, fair and sustainable…

Education
3
Cascades Academy of Central Oregon

Cascades academy is an engaged, vibrant community that weaves challenging academics with experiential learning to inspire socially responsible individuals ready for a diverse and changing world.

Education
4
Oregon Center for Public Policy

The oregon center for public policy's mission is to achieve economic justice for all oregonians through research, analysis, and advocacy. ocpp works to change policies that foster economic security and stability for all oregonians. we do…

Employment
5
Elevate Oregon

Elevating potential, building sustained relationships with urban youth, and charting paths to brighter futures.

Youth Development
6
Friends of the Children-Portland

Friends - portland commits to standing alongside our community's youth as they work to overcome barriers to their success. each child receives 1:1 support and guidance from a salaried, professional mentor (called a friend), from…

Youth Development
7
New Progressive Network

Next up amplifies the voice of diverse youth to achieve a more just oregon

Civil Rights
8
Youth Progress Association

Youth progress is a nonprofit organization that is licensed as a child caring agency (cca) to serve youth ages 12-25 in the custody of the oregon youth authority (oya) or the oregon department of human services (dhs). youth progress uses…

Health
9
We Belong Pdx

Webelongpdx is dedicated to supporting children's mental health through proactive and comprehensive year-round out-of-school investment. we run programs that operate 42 weeks a year, offering enriching activities twice a week to children…

Youth Development
10
Portland Community Media

Open signal's mission is to nurture the change-making power of community media in service of a just and equitable world.

Arts & Culture
11
Oregon Justice Network

Oregon Justice Network is an alliance built and staffed by criminal legal system impacted people advocating for the well-being of people affected or at-risk of being affected by carceral systems. Our work centers around restorative…

Human Services
12
Oregon Progress Forum

Next up amplifies the voice and leadership of diverse young people to achieve a more just and equitable oregon.

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Open School Inc; the most unlike its peers is Glide Revitalization. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

51 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 51 of the 62 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
14
Early backer (in before they grew)
49/51
Grantees still filing
38/51
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND: $4,407,000 · Community ImprovementFIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT…+2 more: $30,000 · Community ImprovementTHE OREGON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $3,315,527 · PhilanthropyTHE OREGON COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONPORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $560,000 · PhilanthropyPORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDAT…HAWAII COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $200,000 · Philanthropy+1 more: $75,000 · PhilanthropyNEW AVENUES FOR YOUTH INC: $415,600 · OtherNEW AVENUES FOR YO…FIDELITY: $400,000 · OtherFIDELITYIndividual grant recipient: $298,000 · OtherIndividual grant r…COLLEGE POSSIBLE: $145,000 · OtherCOLLEGE POSSIBLEDE LA SALLE NORTH CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL: $117,995 · OtherBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF METRO DENVER INC: $110,000 · OtherTOGETHER WE ARE GREATER THAN: $100,000 · OtherREADING RESULTS: $90,000 · OtherTEAM RUBICON INC: $125,000 · OtherTEAM RUBICON INCPATH HOME: $100,000 · Other+21 more: $330,000 · Other+21 moreSNOWCAP COMMUNITY SERVICES: $620,000 · Human ServicesClackamas Service Center: $225,000 · Human ServicesCLACKAMAS WOMEN'S SERVICES: $105,000 · Human ServicesLatino Network: $50,000 · Human ServicesIMPACT NW: $40,000 · Human Services+3 more: $40,000 · Human ServicesCATLIN GABEL SCHOOL: $512,250 · EducationSMART READING: $152,500 · EducationINCIGHT COMPANY: $130,000 · EducationAlliance for Equity in Montessori Education: $50,000 · EducationOPEN SCHOOL INC: $35,000 · Education+1 more: $10,000 · EducationBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF PORTLAND METROPOLITAN AREA: $436,693 · Youth DevelopmentPortland YouthBuilders: $125,000 · Youth DevelopmentBRIDGE MEADOWS: $97,500 · Youth DevelopmentBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY: $65,000 · Youth DevelopmentKIDS UNLIMITED OF OREGON: $45,000 · Youth DevelopmentBOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF SALEM MARION & POLK COUNTIES: $40,000 · Youth Development+3 more: $21,000 · Youth DevelopmentPORTLAND TENNIS & EDUCATION: $215,000 · Recreation & Sports
Community Improvement$4,437,000Philanthropy$4,150,527Other$2,231,595Human Services$1,080,000Education$889,750Youth Development$830,193Recreation & Sports$215,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetFIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND: $4,407,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetTHE OREGON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $3,315,527 over 6y, 0.7% of budgetSNOWCAP COMMUNITY SERVICES: $620,000 over 7y, 7.9% of budgetPORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $560,000 over 7y, 1.7% of budgetCATLIN GABEL SCHOOL: $512,250 over 3y, 1.7% of budgetBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF PORTLAND METROPOLITAN AREA: $436,693 over 4y, 7.6% of budgetNEW AVENUES FOR YOUTH INC: $415,600 over 8y, 0.6% of budgetClackamas Service Center: $225,000 over 5y, 12% of budgetPORTLAND TENNIS & EDUCATION: $215,000 over 4y, 7.8% of budgetHAWAII COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $200,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSMART READING: $152,500 over 6y, 1.0% of budgetINCIGHT COMPANY: $130,000 over 4y, 10% of budgetTEAM RUBICON INC: $125,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetPortland YouthBuilders: $125,000 over 4y, 1.5% of budgetBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF METRO DENVER INC: $110,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetCLACKAMAS WOMEN'S SERVICES: $105,000 over 4y, 1.2% of budgetPATH HOME: $100,000 over 4y, 0.6% of budgetTOGETHER WE ARE GREATER THAN: $100,000 over 3y, 3.4% of budgetBRIDGE MEADOWS: $97,500 over 3y, 1.6% of budgetREADING RESULTS: $90,000 over 5y, 2.4% of budgetCONCORDIA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $75,000 over 1y, 2.9% of budgetOREGON MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY: $70,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY: $65,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetLatino Network: $50,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetKIDS UNLIMITED OF OREGON: $45,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetIMPACT NW: $40,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF SALEM MARION & POLK COUNTIES: $40,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetOPEN SCHOOL INC: $35,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetCASA OF CLACKAMAS COUNTY: $20,000 over 1y, 2.2% of budgetTHE CHILDREN'S BOOK BANK: $20,000 over 2y, 1.2% of budgetMUSEUM AT WARM SPRINGS: $20,000 over 1y, 3.1% of budgetCHILDREN'S PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP: $20,000 over 1y, 7.9% of budgetVIRGINIA GARCIA MEMORIAL HEALTH CENTER: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNonprofit Association of Oregon: $20,000 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetADAPTIVE SPORTS NORTHWEST: $10,000 over 1y, 4.5% of budgetBlack Parent Initiative: $10,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetLines for Life: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE CANBY CENTER: $10,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetOPHELIA'S PLACE: $10,000 over 1y, 1.1% of budgetLEWIS AND CLARK MONTESSORI CHARTER SCHOOL: $10,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetEthos Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 2.1% of budgetDress for Success Oregon: $10,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetNORTH POLE STUDIO: $10,000 over 1y, 4.5% of budgetGLIDE REVITALIZATION: $10,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetAC PORTLAND: $10,000 over 1y, 2.8% of budgetLIFEWORKS NW: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCivics Learning Project: $10,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

The Oregon Community …Marie Lamfrom Charita…Juan Young TrustOCF Joseph E Weston P…The Collins FoundationMeyer Memorial TrustThe Autzen FoundationThe Reser Family Foun…Maybelle Clark Macdon…Umpqua Bank Charitabl…The Robert D and Marc…The Jackson Foundation
The Oregon Community FoundationOR66.5× affinity40 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Oregon Community Foundation · Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation Trust · Juan Young Trust · OCF Joseph E Weston Public Foundation · The Collins Foundation · Meyer Memorial Trust · The Autzen Foundation · The Reser Family Foundation · Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund · Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation · The Robert D and Marcia H Randall Charitable Trust · The Jackson Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization The Johnson Charitable Trust funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Johnson Charitable Trust. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 80%1%4%8%15%funder's share of their income ↑0%23%45%68%90%share of the org’s income from government →median 11%
  • Glide Revitalization: 87% of income from government
  • Lines for Life: 70% of income from government
  • Alliance for Equity in Montessori Education: 65% of income from government
  • Children's Public Private Partnership: 49% of income from government
  • Black Parent Initiative: 45% of income from government
  • Bridge Meadows: 36% of income from government
  • Portland YouthBuilders: 35% of income from government
  • Clackamas Women's Services: 33% of income from government
  • Warm Springs Community Action Team: 28% of income from government
  • Ophelia's Place: 22% of income from government
  • New Avenues for Youth Inc: 20% of income from government
  • Latino Network: 15% of income from government
  • Ac Portland: 14% of income from government
  • Ethos Inc: 13% of income from government
  • Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center: 11% of income from government
  • Clackamas Service Center: 9% of income from government
  • Lifeworks Nw: 8% of income from government
  • Impact Nw: 8% of income from government
  • Nonprofit Association of Oregon: 6% of income from government
  • Portland Community College Foundation Inc: 5% of income from government
  • Open School Inc: 5% of income from government
  • Together We Are Greater Than: 5% of income from government
  • Oregon Museum of Science and Industry: 4% of income from government
  • Lewis and Clark Montessori Charter School: 3% of income from government
  • Smart Reading: 3% of income from government
  • The Oregon Community Foundation: 2% of income from government
  • Metropolitan Youth Symphony: 1% of income from government
  • North Pole Studio: 0% of income from government
  • Casa of Clackamas County: 0% of income from government
  • Catlin Gabel School: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
8get no government money at all
7report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
3rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–90%
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Johnson Charitable Trust?

Find your warmest path to The Johnson Charitable Trust through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 62 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2019, released 2019. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Johnson’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home